Numerous methods and tools exist for modeling and simulating production and assembly lines. For example, a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel® 98 can be used to perform static modeling of an assembly line. While spreadsheets are easy to use, and may provide results based on static modeling, they do not adequately take into account how various factors interact with each other. For instance, a spreadsheet can be configured to show that certain pieces of equipment in an assembly line may have a downtime of 25%, but it cannot be configured adequately to show that at various times, all of these pieces of equipment might be down at the same time, much less predict the actual impact such an event might have on line performance.
Discrete event simulation software products, such as Witness® 2000 (available from Lanner Group, Greenwich England), provide better estimates of how a line will actually operate. One drawback of using existing discrete event simulation products is the amount of time and skill it takes to set up a discrete event simulation of an actual or proposed system. Most discrete event simulation packages require that highly detailed simulation objects be created by the person performing the modeling. These objects contain numerous parameters, some of which may be variable in nature and some of which are inherent in the piece of equipment that the simulation object represents.
Consultants typically spend a great deal of time, sometimes several weeks, building a discrete event simulation model. This long turn-around time is not helpful for a salesperson pitching equipment, or consultants trying to demonstrate their ability to increase a line's efficiency. It would be preferable if a consultant or a salesperson who is attempting to sell products or services could deliver a persuasive, well-supported sales pitch, or needed consultation in far less time.
Prior to the present invention, there appears to have been no adequate way for a consultant to quickly and easily build and run a simulation model for a proposed line configuration. Moreover, the level of skill required to build a simulation often exceeds that possessed by a typical salesperson. It would therefore be valuable to have tools and methods that: demand only a low level of skill to use, similar to that required to use a spreadsheet; can be quickly programmed; and give accurate results, similar to those of a sophisticated discrete event simulation modeling tool.